NORTH DAKOTA VS. c.c. SATURDAY GAMEDAY THREAD

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It's hard to know what to make of this team - half the time they look like they can play with anyone, half the time they look like they need a bag skate right after the game. A nice win yesterday. There is not much we can do about the total lack of firepower, however, there are some things we really need to clean up if we want to salvage this season. These are things we shouldn't be battling at this point in the year. Special teams are usually pathetic and cost us games - especially with our tendency to take the stupidest penalties at the worst time. Intensity - I have never seen a team give up momentum so quickly - we often give up a goal within a minute of scoring. There is no excuse except lackadaisical play. We don't have much killer instinct. I think the goalie situation will take care of itself - it is exacerbated by our lack of scoring and our defense making poor decisions at times. We need everyone dialed in going forward. Every time I think that is happening, we crap the bed next game. It's gut check time.

^^^This. If this team ever gets the consistency figured out they can roll. Hopefully this last series shows them what they need to do.

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Cam was a decent goalie with tons of studs in front of him; lost me for his play, his patting himself on the back instead of the entire team after their St Cloud road sweep last year and thirdly who cares to hear him on Hennessy sharing with us that he supports Donald Trump? Keep him on the bench....Thome is the man.

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Cam was a decent goalie with tons of studs in front of him; lost me for his play, his patting himself on the back instead of the entire team after their St Cloud road sweep last year and thirdly who cares to hear him on Hennessy sharing with us that he supports Donald Trump? Keep him on the bench....Thome is the man.

If Cam is back in net for Friday's game at Omaha, you can bet on a loss.....with a few soft goals thrown in for good measure.

I don't know what happened to him, but he is not the same guy he was two years ago.

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Go back and watch the 2016 NCAA title game. Cam made some big saves when he needed to. Our D-Corps were good, but not perfect.

He still makes one or two big saves a game now. Let's not pretend that sustained zone pressure, and dmen clearing pucks to the corners on gravy rebounds hasn't changed the dynamic. He had a once in a lifetime defensive corps in front of him. I don't understand how it's even a question why he hasn't looked the same the last two seasons. Outside the defensemen, it's not hard to see the difference between the forwards then, and now. Caggiula's example had them buzzing pretty much every night, factor in Johnson, Pogo, and Gardner physically abusing the opponents top line nightly, again, it's not hard to figure out the difference. Last year's team, and certainly this year's bears no resemblance, not just skill wise, but tenacity and effort.

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Without a stable of NHL defensemen in front of him, Cam is an average to maybe slightly above average .900 save percentage type goalie. When you have a couple Boesser/Jost players on your team helping it score 4-5 goals per game that equates to a winning record because Cam usually doesn't get blown out. However, on an offensivley challenged team, averaging at least one soft goal let in per game doesn't cut it. Of course it's not all Cam's fault, but you can't drop 9 of your forwards that aren't producing mid year for 9 that can score. Given what the team is this year you need the best goalie in there which is Thome. Cam's soft goals absolutely cost them at least one of the Denver games (one could argue both) and possibly the Duluth game when UND jumped up 2 goals right away only for Cam to start letting softies in. Just because your team only scores 2 goals doesn't mean that your goalie isn't allowed to actually throw a shutout when only facing 18-19 shots in a game.

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Berry has to stick with Thome at this point. Regardless of what Cam does in practice it’s Thome’s net to lose. Glad that Cam is being a good teammate through the process. One of the reasons that the 97 group came together and won that championship was Kvelevog on the bench being a team first guy and supporting the Freshman Schweitzer any way he could.

You could even go back to Jake Brandt’s senior season and how big of a role he played when he had to take a back seat to Jordan Parise.

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Having watched this team all season so far I don't put the team's inconsistent play on the coaching staff as much as I do the players and their leaders on and off the ice. At some point the players need to own their effort and execution. JJ, Mismash and I'll throw in Gersich can't be so hit and miss. There's others too but those 3 were terrific last night.

Visibly just coasting thru the motions half the time. Not sure who gets the most credit for lack of credit. Doesn't help that we don't have the Pattyn type that wouldn't stand for it. Maybe Berry has his hands tied that he can only pick the worst of the bunch to sit because we have so many injuries.

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No, but Cam's play sure hasn't help. Average, at best and again, it seems he hasn't stolen a game for us this season but he has managed to be the reason we've lost a few this season (along with other reasons, yes).

Jake Brandt made an interesting comment last night that while Cam hasn’t lost us any games, he hasn’t won us many either too. I took that to mean stealing a win or two in a game where we got out played or coming up with that huge game saving save.

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Jake Brandt made an interesting comment last night that while Cam hasn’t lost us any games, he hasn’t won us many either too. I took that to mean stealing a win or two in a game where we got out played or coming up with that huge game saving save.

solid point, and there have been plenty of opportunities where we have been outplayed to steal at least one.

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Go back and watch the 2016 NCAA title game. Cam made some big saves when he needed to. Our D-Corps were good, but not perfect.

Agreed FS4L, he was a stud that year. Even with that d corp in front of him he was a .930 goalie i think? Made huge saves vs DU & QU in high pressure situations. I don't remember him giving up goals like that 2nd one on friday where he is just out of position. Part of it could be that no one had expectations for him so he could play more freely...just speculating. Either way, awesome to see him supporting Thome as he had a solid game Saturday. Listening to berry after the game I'd say it's thome's net if he keeps playing that way.

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Thome needs to be the goalie unless he loses the job by bad play. Cam maybe a better hockey player today (what about tomorrow), but the team plays better in front of Thome. This is a team sport. Cam is a senior and Thome a freshman, what about the future. Is Cam improving in his last year, or does Thome have the potential?

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Berry has to stick with Thome at this point. Regardless of what Cam does in practice it’s Thome’s net to lose. Glad that Cam is being a good teammate through the process. One of the reasons that the 97 group came together and won that championship was Kvelevog on the bench being a team first guy and supporting the Freshman Schweitzer any way he could.

You could even go back to Jake Brandt’s senior season and how big of a role he played when he had to take a back seat to Jordan Parise.

Foolish talk. I played goaltender and Thome has rebound control problems and positional issues. He's all over the place. There is a reason Cam gets the call most nights.